


Prompt Words

by nyatsuma (orphan_account)



Series: Tumblr Prompt Fills [2]
Category: Gintama
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Gen, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, aftermath of war
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 16:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6574141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/nyatsuma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An assortment of prompt fills from Tumblr from the "Prompt Words" meme. Chapter titles are each prompt! Tags will be added as I go along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "trigger + moots"

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for torture, PTSD in this one. You can find the original one [here](http://nyatsuma.tumblr.com/post/142369937868/trigger-moots)!

He was getting better, they supposed. They only based this off the fact that he wasn’t snarling at them when they tried to help him, he wasn’t throwing insults at Gintoki and telling him how much it was everyone’s fault for those five years. In fact, he was completely silent these days, not speaking a single word, though sometimes he whispered things to Sadaharu.

The kids only assumed he was getting better because he wasn’t mean anymore.

But Gintoki could see differently. He could see past that; he knew Tatsuma had been lashing out due to fear since they found him. Well, the lashing out was now past, but the fear… the fear was still there. Gintoki grew bitter and hateful at the sight of the fear in the other’s eyes. Hateful at the people who took him, at the people who beat him until his high spirits broke, at himself for not trying hard enough to find him after he went missing.

For awhile, Tatsuma claimed to hate him, throwing it into his face every time they were alone for more than ten minutes, and each time Gintoki agreed. He could see the anger in the other’s eyes. Now it was filled with sadness and fatigue, pain and pain and pain…

Gintoki was tired, too.

One night, he woke up to see the other staring, just… staring, eyes wide, breath quick. He seemed frozen there, and Gintoki slowly went up to him. “…Tatsuma?”

The other didn’t respond. Gintoki frowned. What was wrong? What could - then he smelled it, and he felt horror rise inside him. He could smell cigarette smoke. He had accidentally left the window open, and Otose must be smoking outside while waiting for customers. From helping Tatsuma bathe the first few weeks, Gintoki had noticed circular scars where barely any hair grew. Tatsuma’s scalp had been burned by cigarettes.

The smell must be…

Gintoki scrambled up and slammed the window shut before grabbing a surgical mask and slowly covering Tatsuma’s mouth and nose with it. He said nothing, not really sure what to say in these sort of situations. He just stepped back.

He noticed Tatsuma’s eyes dart to look at him before his shoulders sagged, but he was still hyperventilating. The fear in his eyes… it made Gintoki hateful again. He reached out to him slowly and wasn’t surprised when the other pushed back and bundled up a blanket around him.

“…My bad, I left the window open by accident.” He left his arms open.

Tatsuma stared at him. Gintoki watched as Tatsuma looked him over before carefully, slowly starting to make his way over to him. He pulled the other into his arms, but still said nothing.

He could at least try to help Tatsuma now, right?

Tatsuma started to calm down. He muttered something Gintoki couldn’t quite catch - but he smiled nonetheless. “Is that so?”

He felt the other shake, like he was laughing a bit.

“Better?”

Tatsuma made a thoughtful noise and nodded.

“Good - now go to bed.” He pulled the other with him onto his futon.


	2. "Sakamoto + despair"

He was sick of war.

Sure, he liked to fight. He liked to throw punches, he liked the adrenaline it gave him; it made him feel something. But he did not like to kill.

Killing was raw. When he killed someone, he could see their life force drain from their eyes. He could see their fear, their pain, but also their acceptance. They knew what they were getting into when they joined this war, and Tatsuma knew too.

He hated it now.

He was thankful for his wound - the wound which pulled him from the front lines, this wound that made him unable to even hold the tools to kill anymore. He had sat comfortably in the back as the others pushed forward, only doing deals to get supplies. At least he was still useful.

Then they all disappeared.

They were all gone.

He blinked and suddenly he was alone.

The war was done. One swift debilitating battle later and he was the only one left with no where to go. He couldn’t go back home; he was banished from Tosa for the time being.  At least, he mused, he hadn’t seen the life force drain from Gintoki’s eyes.

This war took everything from him. For awhile he wandered, wandered until a kind couple took him in and cleaned him up. They gave him food. Cut his hair, clothed him. One day, he went back to the last battlefield and took a long look over all the graves.

Despair took many forms. His was silent; a blank, silent facade and tears that fell freely but quietly. He looked down and noticed footprints, three sets of them, trailing in three different directions, and a thought came to him.

Three. There had been four of them and Tatsuma was here right now. So if there were three here… They must have lived.

He had to find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find the original one [here](http://nyatsuma.tumblr.com/post/142873553188/sakamoto-despair)!


	3. "kaientai & snow, please! :3"

Their next destination was a planet made entirely of snow. Tatsuma commented about how it seemed like some sort of Sci-Fi space opera thriller location, adding that he hoped no one had to crawl into a space creature to keep warm. He got his face smashed into the table for that.

Snow reminded Tatsuma of wavy hair and rude manners.

Snow reminded Mutsu of what home she could remember.

They got off the ship and shit, was it freezing - they all hussled back on to put on a good two extra layers before coming back out. The Amanto there were in shorts. Apparently this was their summer. They had to make “special arrangements” for the others to stay in their own building - the entire arrangements were just heating.

“Can’t we just stay on the ship?” one crew member asked.

But of course, they couldn’t, as keeping the ship warm would deplete their gas reserves.

With a nice cup of tea, Tatsuma settled into his bed. He only had two layers on now. “Why did I decide to do business here?”

“Eight figures,” replied Mutsu.

“Ahaha! Yes!”

Mutsu, in that morning, found Tatsuma watching the snow pile up against the door. Everyone else was still asleep, bundled in many blankets. Someone was going to have to dig them out. And apparently, it was way worse than this in the winter. Tatsuma was huffing on the window and drawing faces with the leftover steam.

He hummed.

Tatsuma huffed again and drew a wall and some circles before letting out a gasp and clapping his hands vigorously.

“We should go out there and build snow forts.” He jumped up. “But once they dig us out.” He sat back down.

Mutsu let out a huff of her own, or was it more like a laugh?

Intricate snowforts or simple ones, but everyone was happy about the idea. There was plenty of snow to go around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find the original one [here](http://nyatsuma.tumblr.com/post/142874858323/also-kaientai-28-please-3)!


End file.
